Photoshop is more than just software, it’s a celebration of creativity and the ability to make any image into something inspirational. Before Photoshop, artists were enhancing and manipulating photographs through any number of methods, including photomontage, combination printing, overpainting, retouching, or a combination of any of the aforementioned processes. To celebrate these pioneers, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York is hosting an exhibit titled Faking It: Manipulated Photography Before Photoshop.

In conjunction with this exhibit, we would like to invite the Photoshop community to share their photo manipulations with us for a chance to win some special prizes. Every week, from now through February 7th, we will post an image from the Faking It exhibit that will serve as inspiration for that week’s submissions. Photoshop fans can submit their own altered photograph showing their interpretation of the theme, and at the end of each week, a random winner will be chosen to receive a print copy of the 296-page exhibition companion Faking It: Manipulated Photography Before Photoshop by Mia Fineman.

In addition to the weekly winners, participants who submit a video screencast of their entry, showing how their image was created, will be eligible to win the grand prize; a trip for two to see the Faking It exhibit in person at either the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. or the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas. Video submissions must be no longer than five minutes. A panel of judges will select eight finalists, who will be in consideration to win the grand prize. The Photoshop Facebook community will vote for the final grand prize winner.

This week’s inspiration is titled “The Tall Tale Postcard,” and challenges Photoshop users to create an unexpected image by compositing oversized animals, food, or other objects into a postcard.

For more information about the Faking It contest, visit our Facebook page and read the official contest rules. Happy manipulating!